Phong Dien district has more than 8,500ha of fruit trees, It is famous for many specialty fruits such as Ha Chau Burmese grape, star apple, durian, mangosteen, rambutan, longan... The highlight of Phong Dien is the perennial orchards passed down from generation to generation such as Giao Duong eco-tourism garden, 9 Hong garden, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Tan Quang, owner of Giao Duong eco-tourism garden (159 Nhon Loc 1, Phong Dien town) said: “My garden, which was passed down from my father to me, has been here for several decades. It covers an area of 3 hectares, mainly growing Burmese grape and mangosteen. In the past, our income is mainly from the fruit garden as we are gardeners. Since we let tourists visit and buy fruits in our garden, our garden has become an eco-tourism spot. We have been doing this business for more than 30 years.”

Giao Duong eco-tourism garden is considered one of the oldest tourist gardens in Phong Dien, with many big and tall trees. Mr. Nguyen Tan Quang said: “My main income is from selling seedlings and fruits. Only in fruit season do I welcome tourists to my garden. Each ticket costs visitors just several tens of thousands of dong. Tourists can pick fruits freely, and eat till their heart content. When I combine gardening with tourism, I have an additional income.” Eco-tourism garden helps increase income for gardeners, so many households in Phong Dien have applied this new tourism model to their orchards.

Phong Dien currently has 65 tourist attractions and historical-cultural relics. Surprisingly, garden spots and eco-tourism areas account for over two-thirds of the tourist attractions in the district. Eco-tourism gardens appear in almost all communes in Phong Dien, mainly in My Khanh, Nhon Ai, and Nhon Nghia. Mr. Nguyen Huu Hoang, Deputy Director of My Khanh Tourist Village, said: “The fruit-growing area covers an area of about 15-20 hectares, accounting for about two-thirds of My Khanh Tourist Village, with many typical fruits of Mekong Delta such as Burmese grape, water apple, rambutan, longan, jackfruit, etc. Tourists from the Northern region are very fond of the fruit gardens in Mekong Delta, so we pay great attention to developing the orchards.”

Many other tourist areas such as Can Tho Eco Resort, Mekong Silt Ecolodge, Lung Coc Cau tourist area, Lung Tram ecological garden, and Phi Yen fruit garden... all have priority areas for developing fruit gardens.

Fruit gardens have made a reputation for Phong Dien tourism. The double profits from the fruit gardens and tourism have encouraged many households in Phong Dien to switch to agricultural tourism. This tourism model is suitable for Phong Dien's potential and advantages. On the other hand, the development of orchards also contributes to the development of eco-tourism in a sustainable direction, In line with the current trend of developing green tourism and eco-tourism. This is also consistent with the project “Development of agricultural tourism in Can Tho City in the period of 2021-2025, vision to 2030”. The project also identifies the effective exploitation of resource values in agriculture associated with tourism development in the direction of sustainable development. While improving the competitiveness of products, contributing to diversifying the system of tourism products and services in Can Tho, as well as building a brand of agricultural tourism in Can Tho…

It can be seen that the economic model of orchards combined with tourism in Phong Dien brings many benefits to the locality. Specifically, it promotes the potential of perennial fruit orchards. Moreover, it helps increase the value of agricultural products and contributes to the formation of typical tourism products for Phong Dien in particular and Can Tho in general.